


If I Reach My Hand Out Will You Grab It?

by TeaTimee



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Found Family, Modern AU, No Lesbians Die, No ghosts AU, Theres gonna be a bunch of miles and flora bonding with dani and jamie, also owen and hannah are married with a kid, if you like dani and jamie being parental figures to miles and flora you'll like this, its gonna be very cute, maybe a touch of drama, yay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaTimee/pseuds/TeaTimee
Summary: “Flora?” A voice called from the entrance and Jamie stood, turning just in time to greet Flora’s mum as she stepped into the reception area.“Jamie?”Jamie froze, staring at the woman who had just stepped through the alcove, her blonde hair was windswept and she was slightly out of breath, as if she’d been running. She stood just in front of the alcove, hands by her sides, wearing the same grey blazer and skirt combination that Jamie had last seen in the pixelated glow of her phone screen that morning.“Dani?”Jamie works as a gardener at a primary school and lives in a flat above the town pub, she likes spending the occasional evening downstairs with a pint. She usually doesn't talk to the other patrons but one day she spots someone new, a blonde woman in one of the booths. A cute blonde woman. Jamie can't help but feel drawn to her and eventually strikes up a conversation. Things get flirty and Jamie is enamoured almost immediately.The same week, two new students start at the school Jamie works at and she gets quite a shock when she meets their mum.Ok, so maybe she's bitten off more than she can chew.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie, background Hannah Grose/Owen Sharma
Comments: 40
Kudos: 182





	1. Annoying Friends and Cute Blondes in Bars

**Author's Note:**

> Title for the fic taken from my favourite song - Cheap Apple Cider by Saint Street (https://open.spotify.com/track/2llz5UVyVk8MHlqFsyye3p?si=Raan5KjaQ-O9C-XAJB0Ptw) 
> 
> I recommend checking it out!

The greenhouse at Thornwood sat at the bottom of the hill, a small walk from the main school building. It was well maintained, as were the school grounds and the class garden beds that took up the flat piece of land in front of the glass building.    
  
This had not been the case two years ago when Jamie Greene had arrived at the school on her first day of employment. The greenhouse had been a mess, left abandoned for the last few years. Jamie had worked hard to get everything up and running, the school had decided to introduce a gardening program as a part of their curriculum and Jamie came with high recommendations. 

She had been apprehensive at first to work so closely with children but had soon gotten the hang of it and even enjoyed teaching them about her garden, sometimes at least. It certainly helped that the students were only allowed through the garden gate if they were accompanied by an adult (usually a teacher but the occasional parent volunteer wasn’t unusual either).

The greenhouse was overflowing with plants, summer seedlings getting ready for the students to plant in the next few days, flowers, plants Jamie had been tasked with reviving and Jamie’s own projects. 

The gardener in question was currently slumped over her workbench, asleep.    
  
“Jamie!” She was roused by someone tugging on her overalls and a familiar voice, “Wake  _ up _ !”

“Huh?” Jamie rubbed her eyes and sat up, shuffling around on her stool to rest her back against the workbench where she had just recently been enjoying a morning nap.   
  


Two girls in Thornwood uniform stood in front of her, Katie, the daughter of two of Jamie's best friends, grinned gleefully up at her. Her unruly black curls had been somewhat successfully tamed into a wild ponytail, probably by her father earlier that morning and her uniform was, as usual, crooked. 

Katie's brown skin and black hair was a stark contrast to her companion, a small, pale girl with a neat blonde braid that ran down the centre of her back, her hands were clasped together in front of her as she looked shyly up at Jamie. She stood just behind Katie, hovering shyly at her shoulder.   
  
“Katie, you know you're not supposed to be in here,” Jamie sighed, knowing that it wouldn’t make a difference, Katie tended to live by her own rules.

“We're not supposed to be in here without an  _ adult _ . You’re an adult.” Katie pointed out and Jamie tried to hide a grin.  _ Kid’s getting smart.  _ She would have been lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little proud.

“And you’re a pain in my arse.” Jamie crossed her arms, blinking the last of her tiredness from her eyes.   
  
“Jamie, you're not supposed to say bad words.” Katie scolded.   
  
“Yeah, and you're supposed to call me ‘Miss Greene’ at school so we’re about even I’d think.” Jamie quipped back.

The little girl rolled her eyes, “You hate being called that,” she pointed out.   
  
She was right, but Jamie ignored this, swiftly changing the subject, “Who's your friend?”    
  
“Her name’s Flora, she’s new,” Katie offered, nudging the other girl forward.

Jamie slid off the stool and crouched down in front of them, offering her hand for Flora to shake. “Well, pleased to meet you, Miss Flora, I’m Jamie, unless there are teachers around to hear and then I’m ‘Miss Greene’.” Jamie did her most horrible posh old lady voice hoping to make the small girl a little less nervous.

The girl took Jamie’s offered hand, giving it a little shake and smiling at her joke. “I’m Flora.”  
  
“She knows my mum and dad and it’s her first day so they told me to look after her.” Katie had moved slightly to the right to inspect a pot plant.  
  
“Is that so?” Jamie swatted Katie’s hand away from the flower, “Oi! Hands off, that’s delicate.” Katie stuck her tongue out in retaliation but when she went back to inspecting the plant her hands stayed by her sides.  
  
“Why were you asleep?” Flora asked. She stood slightly taller now, looking curiously up at Jamie, who couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit pleased that her joke had worked.  
  
Jamie opened her mouth to reply but Katie beat her to it, “Jamie can sleep anywhere, one time she fell asleep on the toilet!” the girl burst into a fit of giggles, darting backwards in anticipation of Jamie’s outstretched hand.

“Oh, I’m gonna _kill_ your dad!” Jamie settled for pointing a menacing finger at the cackling child. “I swore him to secrecy about that!”  
  
The incident in question was from a few years ago, Jamie and Katie’s dad, Owen, had been out in London for Pride, it was probably the most alcohol that Jamie had consumed ever in her life. She had disappeared off to the toilet at the bar they were in and after about 30 minutes, Owen had come stumbling in looking for her only to discover her snoring on top of a (closed, thankfully) toilet lid. Apparently, drunk Jamie had been in desperate need of a nap and decided the disabled toilet was the perfect place for such a thing. She had woken to Owen laughing so hard he had to hold the bathroom sink in an effort not to fall over, the blue, pink and purple flags Jamie had painstakingly painted on his cheeks earlier smudged with tears.  
  
Jamie shook her head, “I can’t _believe_ he told you!”  
  
Just then a siren wailed across the school grounds. “Saved by the bell,” Jamie told the kids, standing and ushering them out of the greenhouse, “Off you go, you’ll be late for class. You tell your dad to watch out though!”

“I will!” Katie giggled gleefully at the prospect of Jamie telling her father off as she took Flora’s hand and skipped up the hill.  
  
She stood in the doorway, watching the two girls join the other students heading up towards the school building. Halfway there Katie turned and waved at her, Jamie smiled and returned the gesture. Thunder rumbled across the sky and the kids started to run as the clouds opened up, rain pattering down onto the grass. She could hear little voices squealing, some with laughter and others with surprise and she saw Katie pause and turn her head to the sky, Jamie was too far away to make out her expression through the rain but she could feel her grin from across the grounds. Flora emerged from the cover of the door and pulled Katie inside.  
  
Jamie loved the rain, she loved what it did for her plants and how vibrant they looked after a good rainfall, she loved how it seemed to quiet the world, and the _smell._ That clean, bright smell after rain when the plants released all the oils they had been storing up over the last few days.

She didn’t much like having to work outside in it though, luckily for her Mondays were relatively quiet and she usually spent most of the day in the greenhouse anyway, which was lucky because once the rain began, it didn't let off. At around noon she wiped her dirty hands on her overalls and grabbed her coat and sandwich from her bag, shoving it into her pocket. Then she pulled her old battered umbrella out of the stand by the door and slowly made her way up to the school. 

She paused outside the entrance to the school and took a deep breath of clean air, relishing the moment of quiet before she pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped into the reception.

Jamie shook off her umbrella and stamped the worst of the water and mud off her boots in the small alcove inside the door.

“You could do that outside you know,” an exasperated voice came from behind her.

“And pass up the chance to piss you off?” Jamie turned to face the school’s receptionist, Isabel, who was sitting behind the reception desk that faced the main entrance. “No thanks.”

Isabel shook her head at Jamie, her loose brown bun wobbling with the movement. “You're so annoying.”

Jamie flashed her a smile, “I do my best." she left her umbrella in the stand by the door and walked forward to lean on the reception desk. “Busy morning?”

Isabel leaned back in her chair with a sigh, “The usual, late kids, sick kids, I answer phones, I email, blah blah blah.”  
  
“Sounds riveting.” 

“You have no idea, we did have two new kids start today though, which is the most exciting thing that’s happened since Tim broke his arm last year.”  
  


Jamie winced at the memory, “Bloody kid wouldn’t stop screaming.”

“He was only ten!” Isabel defended him, “Haven’t you ever broken a bone? It hurts.”

Jamie gave her a look, “I’ve broken plenty of bones before and never screamed once.” 

“Well, we can’t all be as tough as Jamie Greene.” Isabel shuffled some papers around on her desk, “Miles and Flora Wingrave. That’s the new kids, you’ll probably see them around soon enough.”

“Yeah I met Flora already, she seemed alright, but I did wonder why she’d be starting so late in the term,” They were past Autumn break already, over two months into the school year.

“All I know is Katie’s dad dropped them off with her this morning. Her mum works for them apparently, cleaning or something.”

“Right, that makes sense. Katie’s mum works up at Bly Manor, but from what I’ve been told the kids live in London. Only come down for holidays.” 

Jamie nodded in agreement, it was well over an hour to London from the school. “None of our business anyway." she tapped the reception desk with her hand and pushed herself back from it, “I promised Becca I’d eat with her today, she’ll be right pissed if I waste her lunchtime.” 

Isabel chuckled, “You better get going then,” 

Jamie waved at Isabel and headed past her down the hall.

Thornwood’s staff room was about as fancy as the rest of the school, all dark wood and old armchairs, there was a fridge and a microwave in the corner next to a sink where the staff usually prepared their lunch. On the far side of the room was a cupboard stocked with different brands of tea and biscuits. Rebecca Jessel, the school’s current year 5 teacher and Jamie's best friend, was sitting on one of the armchairs with a steaming mug of tea. In front of her sat a second mug and a plastic bowl with a fork resting on top of its closed lid.

“What did you bring me for lunch then?” Jamie sat down in an armchair opposite her friend and looked at her expectantly, picking up the second mug and taking a sip of freshly brewed tea.

Rebecca rolled her eyes, “I brought _myself_ a salad,” she gestured to the plastic bowl in front of her.

Jamie made a face, “Good thing I brought a backup,” she said as she pulled her slightly squashed ham and cheese sandwich from her coat pocket.

Rebecca raised her eyebrows, “Has that been in there all day?”

Jamie put her tea down and sat back, pulling off the beeswax wrap that covered her lunch and throwing it on the table. “Just the walk-up, no need to fuss Miss Jessel.”

Rebecca ignored her friend's teasing, “Busy day?”

“Been fine, yours?”

“New kid started today, apparently he had a few issues at his old school, but he seems fine. He’s a sweet boy as far as I can tell, has a sister in Year 2.”

Jamie nodded, “I met her, she's a cute little thing." she was halfway through her sandwich now and paused for a second to yawn.

“You look tired, Jamie.” Rebecca leaned forward, her brow crinkling with concern.

Jamie waved her off, “Didn’t sleep much last night, nothing to worry about.”

“Reeeeally?” Rebecca drew out the word and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Jamie threw a bit of cheese at her, “Don’t start.”

“Are you trying to tell me that the reason you didn't sleep last night is purely innocent and not directly related to the waitress who was flirting with you all through dinner on Saturday?”

“Nah, she left yesterday morning,” Jamie smirked over the tea she had just picked up again and Rebecca leaned forward and swatted at her arm.

“Jamie!” 

“You asked,” Jamie pointed out and Rebecca hit her again, “Ow! Alright, alright, I’m only joking, _Jesus_.” Jamie rubbed her arm. 

“I _saw_ her give you her number, did you even call her?” Rebecca accused.

Jamie shrugged in response, sipping her tea. The girl had been cute, and she _had_ been flirting, but Jamie hadn’t paid it much attention, she wasn’t Jamie’s type. Or, that’s what Jamie had told herself as she threw the napkin with the girl’s number neatly printed on it in black ink into her bin.

“Jamie, come _on_.” 

“I don’t need a relationship to make me happy, Becca, I’m fine.” It had become a well-worn argument between them these past few months, ever since-

“I’m just saying if you got a girlfriend, you wouldn’t have to third wheel me and Peter all the time.” 

Jamie made a face at the mention of Rebecca’s new boyfriend.

“Jamie." her friend’s voice held a warning.

“Look, Becca,” Jamie leaned forward slightly, setting her tea on the table in front of her and resting her arms on her knees, “You're my best friend, you _know_ I’d never lie to you, even to make you feel better. So I’m not gonna pretend to like Peter, because I don’t. I tolerate him, because, unfortunately, I love you.”  
  
“Thanks, I guess,” Rebecca huffed, “He’s not so bad once you get to know him, you know.”

“Sure,” Jamie picked up her tea again and they let the conversation trail off to more mundane topics, their plans for the rest of the week, good movies or tv shows they had watched recently, Rebecca didn’t bring up the subject of relationships again and for that Jamie was thankful.

The last part of the day passed quickly and before she knew it Jamie was walking through the door of The Ivy, having decided on a pint before heading upstairs to her flat. 

She nodded a greeting at the current bartender, a tall man, with red hair and a matching beard, a backpacker from Australia or New Zealand maybe. It was his first week working in the pub and Jamie hadn’t talked to him much, save for ordering her usual pint of larger, which she did again now, just before taking her seat at the corner of the bar. 

Jamie routinely chose this particular seat along the bar, it was on the side of the pub that was furthest from the entrance and hugged the wall. If she wanted space she could throw her jacket on the stool next to her and pretend to be waiting for a mate, though that was usually unnecessary, groups tended to favour the padded booths along the walls and those few who chose the bar tended to stick to the end closest to the bartender.

Jamie nodded to the bartender as he slid her drink over to her and took a sip, sighing as the cool liquid touched her tongue, savouring the taste of the alcohol as it slid down her throat. The bar was fairly empty at this time, most people still at work or getting ready to pick their kids up from school. In a few hours, the bar would start to fill up slowly, the usual groups of people coming in after a long day at work, most of them she either knew already from her long residence in Bly or faces she recognised as regular patrons of the bar.

Jamie perused the sparse crowd of day drinkers, mostly out of boredom than anything else and her eyes landed on a booth on the other side of the room.

A blonde woman, probably around Jamie’s age, sat alone. She had a battered-looking laptop set up in front of her and her face was illuminated by the screen in the dimly lit pub. As Jamie watched her, the woman frowned and leaned in closer to the laptop, tapping away at the keyboard with her right hand. 

  
She was entirely too pretty and Jamie caught herself staring, studying the way the woman chewed on the thumbnail of her left hand as she finished typing and the endearing way her mouth turned down slightly at the edges. After a few minutes, the blonde glanced down at the corner of her screen and gave a small start followed by what Jamie assumed was a curse of some kind, though she was too far away to hear. 

She continued watching as the woman frantically gathered her things and rushed out of the door. Jamie felt a tiny pit of disappointment settle in her stomach as the door swung closed behind her. She shook it off and downed the rest of her pint before following the blonde’s path out the door. There was a door inside the pub that she could have used, and often did, but some fresh air would be nice. Or that's what she told herself as she pushed open the heavy oak-panelled door that led to the main road. 

Jamie couldn't help but take a swift glance around the street as she stepped out of the pub, but it was empty of cute blondes. By the looks of the rush, the girl had been in she was bound to be long gone by now anyway.

“Really Jamie?" she muttered to herself, shaking her head. It was just one pretty girl after all, and Jamie would probably never see her again. _Best to just forget about it._ She thought to herself as she headed around the corner of the pub to the little red door set into the wall. 

She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, stepping into the small familiar space and pulling it shut behind her. She was in a small square room, the red door at her back and a larger one in front of her, which she knew led back into the pub, she could hear the sounds of glasses clinking together and muffled voices coming from behind it. To her right, a carpeted set of stairs stretched up to her front door. To her left was a shoe rack, which she only used for her rain boots. An umbrella stand, with a broken umbrella in it, sat beside the rack. She had been meaning to throw the umbrella away after it broke last week during a particularly windy storm, but still hadn’t gotten round to it.

She sighed to herself and stuck her unbroken umbrella in the stand before bracing one hand on the wall and using it to steady herself as she pulled her shoes off, setting them on top of the shoe rack and heading up the stairs to unlock her front door and let herself into her flat.


	2. A Panic Attack and A First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's compost day at Thornwood, Jamie bonds with Flora and then heads to the pub to see if the cute blonde is back

The garden sat at the bottom of the sprawling lawns, next to the greenhouse. Eight raised garden beds set out in a grid and separated by red brick paths, one for each year group and two for the school kitchen. Each garden bed was about four by two meters long and held a variety of seedlings, ranging in the difficulty of care and durability. The hardiest plants, things like peas, eggplant and radish, were allocated to the younger students while the older years were awarded the freedom of deciding as a class what they would grow each season. Tomatoes were a staple, with each class choosing at least one variety, and one of the older classes had asked for romanesco broccoli and purple cauliflower, the year five’s had even had a go at growing corn.

A short metal fence ran around the perimeter of the garden, stopping where it met the greenhouse wall and continuing from the other side of the attached shed. The fence's main purpose was to keep out the rabbits and other animals that lived in the forest surrounding the school grounds, though it also served to make sure the students only entered supervised. The back half of the area was lined with lidded compost bins and each day after lunch a group of the older children would make the short trek down the hill from the school, wheeling behind them the school's food waste and carrying bins of shredded paper collected from the classrooms and office. At the beginning of the year, Jamie had supervised them closely, making sure they covered the food scraps correctly, used the right amount of water and shut the lids tight. Now, a few months into the school year, she trusted the students enough that she would only double-check the lids were on properly before leaving each day. An extra precaution to keep out rats and other hungry wildlife. 

The small metal shed sat attached to the greenhouse held most of the equipment used for grounds and garden maintenance. There was a dedicated shelf for the student's tools. Things like child-sized garden gloves, trowels, buckets and watering cans, even though the entire garden was hooked up to a reticulation system. Jamie turned it off on garden days, to give the students a little extra to do. Every Tuesday and Thursday the kids would trudge down the hill before lunch, one class at a time, to tend to their patches of garden. 

Jamie had just finished arranging the contents on the pavement outside the shed when she looked up and spotted the year one class barreling down the hill at top speed closely followed by a grumpy looking Miss Wilson and her teaching assistant, Mr Jacobs.

Miss Wilson was an older woman, who had been a teacher at Thornwood for many years now, rumour had it that she had taught the schools current headmistress, Viola Willoughby. She was impatient and strict and, in Jamie's opinion, probably the worst choice for a year one teacher. She had a theory that Ms Willoughby had moved Miss Wilson to the youngest group on purpose, as some kind of punishment, though she couldn't prove it. 

Mr Jacobs, on the other hand, was very well suited to the younger children. He was patient and understanding, fresh out of university and the kids adored him, it wasn't uncommon to see him sitting on the lawn when the sun was out, surrounded by students braiding the wild daisies they had collected from the edge of the forest into his long dark hair and beard. He often refused to remove them until he had left the school for the day. It seemed that he had been the one to initiate the race as he was jogging behind the runners, cheering them on.

_ Happy Tuesday,  _ Jamie thought to herself as they approached, dusting off her overalls and making her way to the gate to greet them. 

She braced herself as the class reached the bottom of the hill and watched as they were ushered into a small group by the teachers, just outside the garden gate, where Jamie now stood. 

“Right,” Mr Jacobs only sounded slightly out of breath, “Everyone, say good morning to Miss Greene!”

“Good morning, Miss Greene!” the group of five and six-year-olds chorused in unison. 

“Morning everyone,” Jamie replied, surveying the group of children in front of her, they were practically vibrating with excitement, "Everyone excited for Compost Day?" she was met with cheers from the crowd, the teachers did their best to quell their excitement. Compost Day came once a year and the children  _ loved _ it, it was the only time the younger ones were permitted to touch the compost bins.

“Right, listen carefully then,” Jamie went on to explain exactly how thickly to spread the compost and the importance of gloves. “... and you lot know the number one garden rule, don't you?” she asked them at the end of her speech, already knowing their answer. She had drilled it into them once a week for the last three months. 

"YES!" A chorus of agreement came from the children. 

“Great,” Jamie clapped her hands together in front of her, rubbing them together, “What is it?”

“Respect the plants and stay on the path, " the children chorused. They were strictly banned from stepping over the wooden walls that contained each patch. Jamie had been extremely determined to keep tiny feet from crushing the plants. 

“Off you go then,” she stepped aside and let the kids push past each other through the gate, heading towards the pile of supplies.

The next hour was barely controlled chaos.

“Miss Greene! What’s this one called?”

“Sarah, don’t snatch the watering can!”

“Amy pushed me!”

“Miss Wilson, I need help!”

“Sarah, if you pour that on me you’ll be in big trouble!”

“Sarah put it  _ down _ !”

“Mr Jacobs, look at this!”

“Sarah _ , NO! _ ”

“Sarah,  _ YES!” _

_ “ARRG!” _

Jamie was extremely glad for the hour to be over as she watched the very damp Miss Wilson lead the class back up the hill. Little Sarah, who Jamie couldn't help but admire a tiny bit, trudged solemnly behind her and Jamie could hear Miss Wilson's scolding as they walked up the hill, getting quieter the further they went. Mr Jacobs took up the rear, herding the stragglers along and making sure no one made a break for it. 

The smell of churned dirt and fresh compost hung in the air around her and Jamie turned and surveyed the garden. The section dedicated to the year one’s wasn’t in such bad condition, really. Except for a patch of pavement that was much wetter than expected and a nice trail of compost leading from the bins to the garden bed. But she would leave that particular mess for when the last class finished as she knew from experience it would only worsen throughout the morning. 

Jamie had a few minutes before the year two’s were due to arrive, and she set about resorting the mess of equipment that had been haphazardly tossed next to the shed, doing her best to rearrange it neatly for the next class. 

They would be much easier, Jamie knew, because they had Katie to keep them in line. The little girl was fierce about the garden, mostly because she adored Jamie, who she’d looked up to since before she could even form full sentences. When she was 3, she had gone through a phase of refusing to wear anything but overalls and work boots. " _ Jus' like Jammie!".  _ The little girl would go out into the backyard and take great handfuls of dirt, rubbing them into her tiny overalls. Jamie had found this endlessly amusing. Her sentiment was not shared with Hannah, Katie’s mum, who was not amused by the trail of dirt her daughter had tracked through the house every day for three months straight.

“Jamie!" came a familiar shout from up the hill and Jamie stood and waved at the troupe of children marching towards her. Katie walked a little in front of her classmates, pulling Flora behind her by the hand. They were closely followed by Mrs McMannon, the year two teacher. She was in her late forties, wearing a bright purple cardigan and sporting large homemade earrings. She had the beginnings of grey peppered amongst her red hair, she had the air of a person who was never worried or rushed. Jamie had never heard her raise her voice, not that she needed to because the children loved her. 

Miss Adams, her teaching assistant, was in her final year of university, bubbly and enthusiastic with dark skin and eyes. She always had a headscarf wrapped loosely around her face and always made an effort to match the patterns to whatever subject they were focusing on that day, today's scarf was decorated by pale green leaves with small pink flowers on a blue background. Jamie was sure Miss Adams must have at least a whole room of her house dedicated to her hijabs, as she never seemed to wear the same one twice. Jamie, who didn't even own a closet, just a small wooden set of drawers stuffed to the brim with overalls, mostly, couldn't fathom the idea of owning so much clothing. 

As the group approached, Jamie could hear Mrs McMannon gently reminding Katie to call Jamie ‘Miss Greene’ while they were in school. It was a line Jamie had heard her and many other teachers repeat to Katie many times over the past year and a bit. Kaite nodded agreeably, though Jamie saw her mouth,  _ See? _ to Flora and roll her eyes dramatically when their teacher turned to check on Miss Adams, who was bringing up the rear of the group.

“ _Miss_ _Greene,_ ” Katie put stress on the name as she and Flora reached the gate, “What happened with Sarah? We passed year one in the hall and Miss Wilson was all wet and telling her off!” She sounded delighted by the idea.

Jamie winked at her, “You didn’t hear it from me, but she  _ might  _ have gotten hold of the watering can and ‘accidentally’ watered Miss Wilson instead of the lettuce.” 

Katie giggled gleefully, she wasn’t the biggest fan of Miss Wilson, who had been her teacher last year. Katie’s wild and carefree nature had clashed horribly with the strict nature of the old woman and for that year Katie had been the bane of her existence. Jamie had been (and always would be) on Katie’s side. The little girl fit in much better with Mrs McMannon’s teaching style, which was very free-flowing. The Irish woman treated her students as her equals and enjoyed a bit of fun from the kids.

As soon as the rest of the class had gathered in front of the garden, Jamie went through the same routine she had with the year one’s before letting the kids into the garden. Katie took charge immediately, allocating different groups of children to different tasks. One group headed over to the compost bin and began shovelling the compost into buckets, which were then handed off to another team for distribution around the plants. A third team took up the watering cans and headed over to the tap, while the fourth spread out around the edges of the garden bed, checking for dead leaves and bugs, which were then carefully removed, the bugs to the other side of the garden fence and the dead leaves into the compost bins. It was amazing to watch really, this extremely well-organized group of six and seven-year-olds working away methodically, like a well-oiled machine. 

Mrs McMannon came to stand beside Jamie, “She’s a force to be reckoned with,” she nodded towards Katie, who was over by the compost pile, demonstrating the most efficient way of shovelling. “You've taught her well.”

Jamie laughed, “Have you met her? Bloody does what she wants, that one.” It was true, Katie had a mind of her own and rarely listened to anyone, preferring to power on ahead and make her own mistakes rather than listen to warnings or advice. Her fiery nature had gotten her into trouble more times than Jamie could count.

The teacher chuckled, “That’s true, I do love garden days though, lovely to have a bit of a break.” She was right, with the way Katie was running things, the adults were barely necessary. Mostly they just stood around and watched.

“Your class is definitely my favourite,” Jamie agreed, admiring the obvious care the children were taking with their patch of the garden. Her eyes roamed over the hard-working children.

“How’s the new kid doing?" she nodded towards Flora, who was trying very hard to move an extremely full watering can from the tap to the garden bed without spilling anything. She would shift it a few feet, set it down for a second to let the water settle and then start the process over, it was slow going but she seemed to be achieving her goal well enough.

“Alright,” Mrs McMannon answered, “She’s adjusting quite well for someone who’s never been in school before, she was privately tutored before this, you know. I’ve noticed she can be overwhelmed quite easily sometimes and she tends to panic, poor thing.” 

Just as the teacher finished speaking, a commotion broke out on the other side of the garden, one of the bucket carriers had collided with another child, sending compost everywhere. Judging by the dual screaming fits, both children were hurt or, at the very least, pretty upset. 

“That’s my cue,” Mrs McMannon excused herself, striding over to the kids with the practised ease of someone who had dealt with screaming children thousands of times before. 

Jamie hated screaming children.

Trying her best to block out the noise, she moved her attention back to the garden bed and her eyes landed on Flora again. The little girl was standing on the path, the watering can at her feet with her hands clasped in front of her. Her chest was moving up and down with rapid intakes of air. Jamie had had enough panic attacks in her own life to recognise when someone else was having one. She made a beeline for Flora, glancing around for help. Both Miss McMannon and Miss Adams were dealing with the screaming kids over by the compost bins.  _ Fuck.  _ Jamie internally cursed, she knelt down beside the girl and touched her arm gently.

“Hey, Flora,” the girl’s eyes were fixed on the small group of people that had gathered around the screaming kids. “Look at me,” Jamie brought her other hand up and gently nudged the girl's face sideways, directing her gaze from the group and onto Jamie. Flora’s eyes met the gardeners, breathing still panicked. 

“Flora, it’s alright,” Jamie tried to speak as calmly as she could. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, she wasn’t very good at dealing with children and she had only met Flora once. “We’re gonna take some deep breaths, okay?” 

Flora nodded, her eyes didn’t leave Jamie’s. “Breathe in,” Jamie instructed, taking a deep breath. Flora followed her lead, “Breathe out,” They breathed out in unison. “Concentrate on breathing. In and out. You’re doing great.”

A minute or so later, Flora seemed to have calmed down. Thankfully, the other kids’ screaming had subsided, Jamie could hear them both still crying softly in the background.

“You alright, chick?" she asked the small girl in front of her.

“Yes, I think so. I don’t like it when they scream.” Flora wrinkled her nose and Jamie chuckled, feeling relief spread through her. The little girl spoke so properly, even now.

“Me neither,” she confessed, sitting back on her haunches in relief. 

“Thank you, Miss Greene, for helping me.” Flora’s voice shook a tiny bit and she took another deep breath in and bit her lip.

“Well, you're very welcome Miss Flora,” Jamie’s eyebrows drew together in concern, “but I do think maybe you should have a bit of a lie down in sickbay. You look a bit tired after that.”

Flora pondered this for a second and nodded, “Yes I think that might be a good idea, I do feel a little bit tired. And we have maths next, I don’t like maths.” She added as an afterthought and Jamie chuckled, she had skipped more than one maths lesson in her time and none for as good a reason as Flora had now.

“I’ll go get Miss Adams, she can walk you up to the school.” Jamie stood and turned around to head over to the teachers but Flora’s little voice stopped her.

“Will you take me? Please?” Jamie glanced back down at the little girl, which turned out to be a big mistake because she was looking up at the gardener with such big brown eyes there was no way Jamie would have been able to refuse.

She sighed in defeat, “‘Course I will. Just let me tell your teachers where we’re going.” Jamie stood and walked over to the group still gathered by the compost bins, someone had grabbed the first aid kit that usually hung inside the greenhouse and the two kids' knees and chins were getting plastered up and tears wiped from their cheeks.

Jamie pulled Mrs McMannon aside and filled her in on Flora’s panic attack. The teacher promised to make a note and told Jamie to get reception to call Flora’s parents and fill them in after Flora was settled in sickbay. Jamie nodded and headed back to the girl, who was sitting on the wooden wall of the garden, talking with Katie.

As Jamie approached, the brown-skinned girl hugged her friend, “Jamie will look after you, she’s good at that, one time I got sick at school and she took me to her house and made me pancakes!”

“Which you promptly threw up on my favourite boots,” Jamie reminded her, shaking her head at Katie, “I should have known better than to trust you when you said you weren’t feeling sick anymore,” Jamie remembered that day all to well, Owen had been caught up at work and Hannah away on a day trip to London for some reason or other so it had fallen to Jamie to care for the sick kid. Katie had spotted a bottle of pancake mix in Jamie’s kitchen and convinced her to make some. Katie had a bit of an obsession with pancakes and Jamie really should have known better than to trust the six-year-old. She had liked those boots.

“Yep, you should’ve!” The girl in question agreed heartily and Jamie rolled her eyes.

“Come on then, Flora, let’s get you up to the sickbay.” Jamie waved at Katie as she led the other girl through the garden gate, as they passed through Flora slipped her small hand into Jamie’s.

“How do you know Owen and Hannah?” Flora asked as they made their way up the hill.

“Well,” Jamie began, “Owen is my best mate, I met him when I lived in London and we worked at the same place, he introduced me to Hannah.”

“I like Owen, he makes funny jokes, do you like his jokes? He made one today about eggs, but I can’t quite remember how it went. It was very funny though.” 

Flora chatted all the way up to the school, and Jamie listened, occasionally nodding and making small noises of agreement. Mostly she was just glad to see the girl bounce back from the panic attack so quickly. 

Jamie dropped Flora off at the sickbay, filling the nurse in on what happened and stopping by Isabel’s reception desk to ask her to call Flora’s parents and let them know as well. By the time she got back to her garden, the previous class had left and the year three’s were waiting for her by the gate. They finished up their hour quickly and before Jamie knew it they were waving goodbye as she tidied up, covering the compost bins and neatly packing away the watering cans. 

Her mind wandered back to the blonde she had seen in the bar yesterday and she found herself working a tiny bit faster than usual, eager to finish up and head back to Bly. She probably wouldn’t even be there, Jamie reasoned with herself, she had probably just been passing through or taking a day trip out of London for a small break. There was no reason to think she would come back to the Ivy.

**

The blonde was back at The Ivy, in the same booth as yesterday, with the same laptop and frown, an empty pint glass sat next to her elbow.

Jamie stood at the bar, waiting for the new bartender to pour her pint. She had ended up finishing a little earlier than usual today after all, and thought she deserved a drink after the mornings events,  _ that _ was why she’d come into the bar. Not to check if the girl was back, she told herself sternly, even if her heart had fluttered when she first stepped through the door and caught sight of a blonde head over the back of the booth. 

“Here you go, pal.” The bartender slid a chilled glass of beer over to her. Jamie wrinkled her nose at the term, she wasn’t one for strangers calling her by pet names.

“It’s Jamie," she introduced herself, looking up at him. He was bloody tall, and even though Jamie herself wasn’t the tallest person around, he had at least a full head of height over her. He was wearing a patterned button-up, ripped jeans and at least 5 different piercings in his left ear alone. Far too many for any straight man to don, Jamie mused, thinking of her own helix piercing, a small stud that she had gotten on her 19th birthday.

“Ethan," he replied and leaned casually on the counter, “You live upstairs, yeah?” 

Jamie nodded in confirmation and picked her drink up from the counter, it was deliciously cold against her warm hands. She found her eyes trailing back to the blonde, who had just pulled a notebook out of the bag next to her and was scribbling something down. Jamie tried not to watch too closely but couldn't help her curiosity, she nodded in the direction of the booth, “What’s her deal?” 

“No clue, she came in a few hours ago, hasn’t moved since." he shrugged, “She was in yesterday too, she’s not a regular?” 

“Nope,” Jamie popped the ‘p’, glancing at Ethan. This woman was a stark contrast to the usual scruffy crowd of locals that graced the pub each night, she was all pastel pink shirt and neatly braided hair. She didn’t look like the type to scream at a football game or drink so much she had to be carried home by her mates on a Saturday night. An image of the blonde downing a pint in one go, flyaway hairs escaping her neat braid as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand flashed through Jamie’s mind and she couldn't help but think that she wouldn't be  _ too _ disappointed to be proved wrong.

Ethan stepped back and opened the ice drawer, using the metal scoop to break up the larger pieces, “She orders stuff, and we’re not exactly bursting at the seams." he gestured to the mostly empty pub and Jamie nodded, eyes turning back to the table.

There was a man in the seat opposite the blonde now, he must have walked over while Jamie and Ethan had been talking. Jamie watched him slip into the seat and lean over the table towards the woman, who shifted uncomfortably and shook her head at him, gesturing to the laptop and notebook in front of her. He chuckled and made a ‘come on’ gesture with his hands and the woman smiled politely and shook her head again.

“Right,” The man obviously wasn’t taking no for an answer and Jamie made a decision, “Ethan, give us another pint, will you?”

Ethan was one step ahead of her, a freshly poured pint landed next to her elbow and Jamie took it with a nod of thanks.

“Let me know if you need backup." told her as she stepped away from the bar and strode purposely across the room.

“..just one drink, you’re over here all alone, I’m just being friendly is all,” the man was speaking like the blonde was a small child who didn’t quite understand what he was trying to say. From the look on her face the pretty blonde knew  _ exactly _ what he was saying and wasn’t happy about it. Jamie would’ve bet a whole week's pay that she also hated being spoken to like a child and the gardeners blood boiled for her.

Jamie reached the booth and stopped directly in front of the table, “Hey! Sorry I’m late, you haven’t been waiting long have you?" her voice came out a little too loud and she internally winced at her fake cheerfulness. The blonde flinched and looked up at her. Surprise, quickly followed by relief, flitted across her expression and she smiled radiantly at Jamie.

“Not at all, I got here early. Thought I’d get some work done." she had an accent, Jamie realised. Usually, she didn’t like American accents but this girl's voice was  _ very _ cute. Just like the rest of her.

The gardener grinned, almost forgetting her anger as the woman reached for the spare pint Jamie was offering, their fingers brushed as the beer moved between them and Jamie’s heart fluttered annoyingly. The two women shared a look and Jamie suppressed a small laugh, somehow it felt like this was something they had done a thousand times before, a knowing glance reaching out across the space between them, sharing a secret. The blonde took a sip from her pint and Jamie watched her, trying not to linger on the way the woman’s fingers gripped the glass or how she licked the remnants of beer from her top lip as she set the glass down in front of her. The man cleared his throat uncomfortably and Jamie realised that they had been staring at each other in silence for probably longer than necessary. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from the blondes to eye the man.

“Who's your friend?" she asked the blonde, trying not to sound like she wanted to yank him out of the booth and slam the pub’s door in his face, “He’s taken my seat." she glared pointedly at the guy, who had the audacity to smile back.

“I’ve just been keeping your friend company while she's been waiting for you." he grinned up at Jamie.  _ Fucking men.  _ She had no patience for entitled pricks who thought they were owed the world and went around completely ignoring common decency. She could practically feel the arrogance oozing from him and was about to speak again when the other woman beat her to it.

“I didn’t ask for your company, I was more than happy sitting here alone.” The blonde’s fingers ran absentmindedly up and down the side of her pint glass, collecting moisture. Jamie swallowed and forced herself to move her gaze up to the blonde's face. The woman was staring pointedly at the man, blue eyes narrowed in annoyance, “I told you that.”

Jamie hid a smile behind the rim of her beer as the man sat back in his seat, his eyebrows furrowed, it looked as if he was having trouble processing the fact that apparently not every woman waited with baited breath for him to pay attention to them.

“Right then,” Jamie tried not to be too smug about dealing another blow to his over inflated ego, “Sounds like she’s made herself pretty clear and I’m here now so either way, I reckon it's time for you to go.” 

The man put his hands up in surrender and slid out of the booth, stepping past Jamie, who glared at him pointedly. He walked around her to stand in front of the blonde and Jamie bristled.  _ Bloody persistent, isn't he? _

“Can I at least get your number?" he asked the other woman, grinning his sleazy grin at her. Jamie suppressed the urge to grab him by the collar and throw him out of the pub.

The blonde frowned up at him, shaking her head, “No thank you.” Exasperation was finally creeping into her voice and Jamie was impressed that it had taken this long, the woman obviously had some kind of endless, angel-like patience.

The man opened his mouth, probably to ask again, but Jamie decided she’d had more than enough and put her pint down on the table with a little too much force, beer sloshing down the side as it made quite a loud  _ thunk _ against the polished wood. She stepped sideways in front of him, blocking his view of the other woman.

“I think it’s time for you to go, mate, I’m not gonna ask again." she clenched her fists by her sides in an effort not to just clock him one on the jaw right there. 

“Don’t you have to be staff to kick me out?" he scoffed at her and she rolled her eyes. What the hell was wrong with this guy? 

“You’d better listen to her, mate, don’t make me call the cops.” Ethan called across the bar, and Jamie noted that he now stood at the end, ready to move out from behind the wooden counter if he needed to, “She doesn't have to be staff to beat you up.” he added, eyeing the man, who rolled his eyes and turned on his heel towards the door, muttering angrily on his way out.

“You’re banned by the way!” Ethan called after him, “Don’t come back!”

Jamie grinned in satisfaction and nodded at the bartender, “Cheers.” 

“No worries, you had it handled anyway,” he replied, dropping the rag he’d been using to wipe the bar down and stepping towards the back, “I’m gonna go write up a description for the ban list.” He stepped out from behind the counter and let himself through the office door on the other side of the room, next to the kitchen. Jamie turned back to the table, she hadn’t realised how close to the booth she had been standing until now, the woman looked up at her from where she was sitting.

“Thanks.” The blonde smiled and Jamie took a small step backwards and retrieved her pint from the table, the glass was wet with beer and condensation and it mixed with the sweat that suddenly coated Jamie's palms.

“Anytime,” Jamie grinned at her, “What a prick.” she rolled her eyes towards the door the man had just exited through.

“Yeah,” the blonde chuckled slightly, looking down at her pint. “Thanks for the beer.”

“No problem,” Jamie replied, glancing at the still open laptop in front of the woman. She didn’t want to force her company on a stranger, she’d happily leave that to entitled pricks like the one she had just scared off. “Well, I’ll leave you to it." she paused and then started to turn but the blonde stopped her.

“You could join me if- if you want." she stumbled over the invitation and Jamie felt another smile creep onto her face, she turned around again. 

“You sure? I don’t want to interrupt your work." she gestured to the laptop. 

The blonde reached out and closed it, “I’m finished for the day, besides, apparently I’ve been waiting for you.” 

Jamie laughed and slid into the now unoccupied seat, ignoring how her stomach clenched at the blonde’s comment. Maybe she should have kept that waitress’s number, if her reaction to one pretty girl was this intense she obviously needed to get laid more than she had thought. Jamie watched as the blonde put the laptop into a case and set it down next to her bag and all thoughts of the waitress were chased out of her mind by the smile the blonde shot her as she sat up and extended a hand over the table.

“I’m Dani, by the way.” 

Jamie reached out and took the offered hand, trying to ignore the tingle in her fingers as their hands touched, “Jamie.”

“Well, thank you for saving me, Jamie.” The blonde- Dani, smiled and let go of her hand, picking up her pint again and taking another sip.

Jamie withdrew her hand from the air above the table and dropped it into her lap, squeezing it, out of sight of the blonde, trying to get rid of the tingly feeling left in her fingers. “So, you're American?" she asked, picking up her beer with her free hand. 

Dani nodded, smiling at her across the table, “I’m from Iowa, originally.” 

“What brings you here then?” Jamie asked curiously, lifting her hand from her lap and leaning her elbows on the table now that the tingles had subsided. “You backpacking or something?” Though Bly wasn’t exactly a hotspot for tourists, the occasional foreigner wasn't out of the question. 

“I just moved here actually, that’s what all this is for,” she gestured to the notebook by her elbow and the now packed away laptop on the seat next to her, “I’m looking for a job."

“Why would you move to  _ Bly _ ?” Jamie’s curiosity got the better of her, Bly was a town for families and old people, people who wanted to get away from the city. Jamie could count on her fingers the number of people her age who lived here. All of them were seasoned locals, people who had lived here all their lives, no one her age  _ moved _ here.

“Well, I was in London before, but, uh,” Dani rubbed the palms of her hands on her jeans nervously, “My circumstances changed, I kind of  _ had  _ to move.” 

“Fair enough,” Jamie leaned back, sensing the other woman's trepidation, “What kind of job you looking for then?" she saw Dani visibly relax at the subject change.

“Teaching, hopefully,” her eyes lit up at the mention of her job, “I have a degree in it but it would be my first full-time job in my field. I’ve done some relief here and there, I’m- I was a nanny in London and I used to work in schools on my days off."

Jamie raised her eyebrows, of  _ course  _ this beautiful, bubbly woman had been a nanny. Jamie could imagine her easily, tucking a small child into bed and reading him a story, like she herself had done with Mikey so many times before- 

She cut off the thought, tucking it away in the back of her mind, and smirked at the blonde, “Well, Poppins, I just so happen to know quite a few teachers, I could ask around if you like.” 

Dani’s eyes lit up again, “Really? That would be amazing!" she brushed a stray strand of blonde hair from her face and Jamie’s eyes followed her fingers as they ran along her cheek. 

She internally shook herself, “No problem," she replied, trying to distract herself by taking another sip from her pint, which was near empty now. 

“Do you live here? In Bly?” Dani asked curiously and Jamie nodded.

“For the last few years, yeah. My best mate and his wife moved here with their kid to help look after his mum. I was visiting them, saw a for rent sign in the window above this place and I jumped at the opportunity to get away from London-” Jamie bit her lip, surprised at herself. She wasn’t normally one to talk about herself so easily and she didn’t want to scare Dani off with too much information about her past before they were even friends. God knows she could use a friend her age who’s not Rebecca, dragging her annoying boyfriend everywhere she went. 

“You live above the pub? That's convenient.” 

Jamie raised her eyebrows and Dani flushed scarlet. “I mean- for you, it's convenient for you, because it's so close and- yeah." she trailed off lamely and Jamie took pity on her.

“Yeah, it's alright, gets a bit loud sometimes," she shrugged, “Usually it doesn't bother me much." She finished her drink and placed the empty glass on the table. “You want another?" she asked Dani, who was just finishing her beer.

“Oh, um, I shouldn’t, I have to be somewhere at-" she glanced down at her watch, and blanched, “Oh god, in like 10 minutes!" she started gathering her things and shoving them into her red backpack, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t realise the time!”

Jamie leaned back in the booth, trying to shove down the disappointment she felt, “Hey, no problem, I can’t keep you here all day can I?” 

Dani stood, hoisting her backpack onto her shoulder and pausing, “Will you be here tomorrow?” There was hope in her voice and Jamie felt a blossom of the same hope in her stomach.

“I’m here every day.” She wasn’t, normally she only came in two or three days a week but Dani didn’t need to know that, and besides, it wasn’t like it was out of her way.

“Good.” Dani smiled, “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow then.” and then she was pushing her way through the front door, leaving Jamie sitting alone in the booth, trying to work out if she had been flirting or if Jamie was just weak for pretty blondes and reading too much into things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's a long one! Thanks to everyone who commented and I hope you like this chapter!


	3. Is This A Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie and Dani meet at the pub and the next day Jamie has an interesting encounter with Flora's mum.

“Jamie!” 

Jamie had just been about to push through the Ivy’s door but the voice stopped her and she turned, eyes scanning the street for the source. Dani was standing on the other side of the narrow road, wearing an large denim jacket over a grey hoodie, her hair halfway tied up with a blue scrunchie, she looked like she’d just stepped out of a cheesy 80’s movie and Jamie couldn’t help but take a second to appreciate the blondes appearance.

She moved out of the entrance of the pub and leant against the wall, watching as Dani approached, wearing a smile that made Jamie’s heart flutter and a matching grin tug at the corners of her mouth.

“Alright, Poppins?” She asked as Dani reached her, hovering slightly awkwardly in front of the gardener, bouncing on the heels of her feet. A small breeze lifted the blonde strands of Dani’s hair and an intoxicating mixture of some kind of flowery perfume and coconut shampoo drifted over Jamie. 

“Yeah,” Dani replied, eyes flitting over Jamie’s features. “Should we-” she bit her lip and nodded at the door. Jamie blinked, realising she’d been staring from her place against the side of the pub.

“Right, c’mon then.” Jamie pushed off the wall and led the way into the Ivy, the pub was relatively empty, save for a small group of men in a corner, apparently just finishing up lunch, and a table of hikers, their packs stacked up on the table next to them, laughing with each other as they enjoyed their break from the trail that snaked through Bly, looping around and passing through a few other small villages before ending in the larger township of Riverside. 

Jamie waved down Ethan and ordered two pints, Dani reached for her wallet but Jamie waved the offer off, “I’ve got it covered, Poppins,” she winked and Ethan nodded, tapping at the screen in front of him and waving the two away from the counter.

Dani arched an eyebrow, “What, do they just give you free beer?”

Jamie shrugged, “Pretty much,” she laughed at the skeptical expression Dani was shooting her, “Not without good reason, though,” Steeling herself, she leant forward and let her fingers wrap around the blonde’s wrist. Her hand tingled at the contact and she gently tugged Dani towards the back of the bar, “I’ll show you.”

The Ivy’s back patio was small, with tall red brick walls surrounding it, doing their best to smother at least some of the noise made by it’s patrons on busy nights. Each wall was covered in meticulously curated ivy, coaxed away from digging its climbing anchors into the mortar and brick by delicate wooden trellises. Picnic tables were scattered about the paved area and there were plants _everywhere_ , resting in small pots on each table, lining the windowsills next to the door, even some sitting atop the brick walls, spilling their green foliage down the sides of their pots and tangling with the ivy leaves that rustled gently in the warm breeze that marked the beginning of summer. A few more trellises were scattered around, each host to their own kind of flower, mostly used to separate tables. Wisteria trees sat in each corner of the patio, their branches tangling up wire poles and wrapping around the wires strung overhead, unlit fairy lights nestled between the green leaves.

“They’ll flower in a few weeks,” Jamie followed Dani’s gaze, “And the flowers’ll bloody drop like flies when they do, but it looks great.”

“It’s beautiful.” Dani breathed, taking in the atmosphere.

“Thanks,” Jamie replied, letting go of Dani’s arm and stepping forward. Dani followed her, waving through the tables.

“You did this?” Dani asked as they reached the back wall, in the corner sat a picnic table, tucked away between the wall and a trellis covered with climbing roses.

“Yep,” Jamie swung her legs over the wooden seat and sat with her back to the flowers, “I struck up a deal with the owner just after I moved here, I keep the back in order, she makes sure I never pay for alcohol.”

“Sounds like a good deal,” Dani was still standing, grasping her beer in both hands and eyeing the table in front of her, seemingly debating something. 

Jamie raised an eyebrow, "You gonna stand there all day?”

Dani’s expression changed, her eyes flashed with determination as she seemingly made a decision and she slid onto the bench next to Jamie, who noted that the blonde had specifically chosen to sit next to her instead of taking the very empty space on the other side of the table. The wooden benches were long enough for three grown adults to sit comfortably side by side, this Jamie knew from experience. But as Dani sat, her thigh only inches from Jamie’s, the space on the bench felt smaller than it ever had before, not that Jamie was complaining. 

She turned sideways and rested her back against the wall next to the trellis, her left thigh came up to rest on the bench and her knee lightly brushed the other woman's leg. Dani didn’t move away, just tilted herself slightly to the side to face Jamie, the action causing more of her leg to press up against the gardener. 

“So how’s the job hunt going?” Jamie questioned, gazing inquisitively at Dani who perked up at the question.

“I actually got an interview!” she replied excitedly, “At the school here in Bly, apparently one of their teachers is going on maternity leave, so if I get it it would be a year long contract.”

“Well congratulations, Poppins, they’d be lucky to have you.” Jamie shifted, raising her glass up in acknowledgement, the space between them shrunk slightly. 

Dani blushed again and looked down into her pint, “Thanks.”

“That reminds me,” Jamie reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a crumpled bit of paper which she handed to the blonde. “It's the phone number for a primary school in the next village over, my mate knows the headmaster there, tell him you're a friend of Rebecca’s. Apparently they're looking for supply teachers,” She winked, “Just in case you tank you interview.” 

“Thank you, Jamie.” The soft way the blonde said her name sent an involuntary shiver down Jamie’s spine.

“Anytime.”

Over the next hour, Jamie found herself surprised by the ease at which the conversation flowed, there was a familiarity between them, in the way they moved and spoke, a comfortable rapport. Jamie felt like she had known Dani all her life, or maybe, like she had always been _meant_ to know Dani, they slipped into an easy rhythm and she tried not to linger on the way Dani’s leg was still pressing into hers, the way her laugh, clear and melodic, seemed to somehow draw all tension from Jamie’s body, the way she kept having to brush stray hairs from her face. Time passed quickly and all too soon Dani was glancing at her watch.

“I have to go,” there was obvious disappointment in her tone and she looked up at Jamie, “This was really fun, I feel like I haven’t talked to anyone my own age in so long,” her ears tinged red at the statement and Jamie smiled. The blonde blushed often, Jamie had come to realise, and the pink tinged her cheeks in a very endearing way. 

“I’ll walk you out,” Jamie picked up their glasses and followed Dani through the pub, depositing the empty pints on the end of the bar with a nod to Ethan before holding the heavy door open for Dani and letting it swing closed behind them. 

It was almost 3pm and as a result the small street was relatively empty, the tables scattered about outside the pub sat quietly in the afternoon sun, across the street in front of the corner store a car door swung shut and an engine started. 

“Listen, Poppins-”

“I was wondering-”

Jamie and Dani spoke at the same time and Jamie chuckled and ran a hand through her hair, “You can go first.”

“Is this a date?” The words tumbled out of Dani’s mouth as if she’d been holding them back for a while, her hands were nervously twisting together in front of her and the expression on her face was a mixture of hope and fear.

Jamie’s heart leapt in her chest and her smile grew wider, she stepped forward and gently placed her hands over Dani’s, stilling their frantic movements, “No Poppins,” 

She saw Dani’s face fall and the blonde made a move to step away, opening her mouth to say something. But Jamie wasn’t finished, she wiggled her fingers into Dani’s grip, linking their hands together between them and tugged the blonde a little closer, “If this were a date, I’d have kissed you already,” She spoke softly and watched as Dani’s expression shifted from disappointed to hopeful.

“Well, maybe- maybe we could make it a date?” They were standing so close that Jamie could feel warm breath ghost over her cheeks, if she just leaned in slightly-

The door of the Ivy flew open and two men spilled out into the street, laughing loudly and slapping each other on the back. Dani and Jamie leapt apart, dropping their hands between them, the moment ruined. They were silent as the men moved past them, still laughing and talking loudly as they made their way down the old cobbled street. 

Jamie could see another blush creeping up Dani’s neck and she smiled, judging that the men would be out of earshot by now, “Then again, maybe this isn’t the best place.” She winked at Dani and the blonde laughed, brushing hair from her eyes.

“Maybe not,” She agreed, “I wouldn’t mind it though- a date, I mean, if you wanted to.”

“I do,” The words came out far too fast for Jamie’s liking and she internally cursed herself for showing how eager she was.

Dani shuffled about in her pockets and pulled out a phone with a pastel pink case, unlocking it and tapping the screen a few times before handing it to Jamie, “Here,” 

The screen was open to a blank contact and Jamie wasted no time in typing in her details. Their fingers brushed as she handed the phone back and Dani smiled, “Maybe you could text me later, to find out when I’m free?” 

“One problem with that Poppins,” Jamie replied, “ _I_ haven’t got _your_ number.”

Dani laughed again and tapped the screen a few times, Jamie felt her own phone buzz in her pocket. 

“Now you do.” Dani looked down at the screen again and sighed, “I really have to go now, or I’ll be late.”

Jamie was about to ask what she would be late for but Dani stepped forward and took Jamie's hand in hers, squeezing it and running a thumb over the gardeners knuckles, “See you later?” The quiet, hopeful tone of her voice and her nearness made Jamie’s heart flutter and she nodded, half considering leaning in again to kiss her, but all too suddenly Dani was stepping back and dropping her hand for the second time that day.

Jamie managed to gather herself enough to speak, “See you later, Poppins.” She stepped back also, towards the alley that held the entrance to her flat. Dani began walking towards the road, just as she reached the entrance to the alley she risked a quick glance over her shoulder at the blonde, who was now on the pavement at the edge of the road. Dani turned as she came to a stop and caught Jamie’s eye, giving her a cheerful little wave. Jamie raised her hand in response, watching the blonde turn and cross the street before heading down the laneway towards her front door.

It took her about three seconds after the little red door had swung shut behind her to pull out her phone and check the text that Dani had sent, a single red heart glowed on her screen and for what was probably the millionth time today, Jamie grinned.

* * *

  
  


Jamie floated through Wednesday morning, potting plants and watering seedlings with a constant smile plastered on her face. She had texted Dani yesterday evening, unable to wait much longer than a few hours, asking if she would be free on Friday night. Dani’s response had been almost instant, _Sounds great!_ Prompting a mixture of panic, anticipation and excitement to rise in Jamie’s chest.

Jamie’s phone vibrated on the workbench, pulling her out of the contemplation over whether to take Dani to a restaurant in Riverside or stick to Bly, and she pulled off her gardening gloves, leaving the seedlings she had been tending too and walking over to the table. She glanced at the time before swiping open the text notification, the school let out for lunch at 12:30 and Jamie usually tried to take her break before the students were set free on the grounds.

_Poppins [11:55am]_

_I did it!_

Jamie wasted no time in replying,

_Jamie [11:57am]_   
_How’d it go?_   
_  
_ Poppins [12:01pm]

_Good, I think. They’re going to let me know by the end of the week!_

That morning Dani had sent Jamie a selfie, standing in front of a mirror showing off a grey skirt and matching blazer, completed with a cream blouse underneath. _Interview material?_ The text had read.

They had been texting since then, mostly about Dani’s job interview and each time her phone buzzed, Jamie found herself smiling slightly wider. She shot off a quick reply before picking up her coat and heading up towards the school.

The walk was short, just a few hundred meters up the hill and across the lawn the children occupied at lunch times, there were a few benches scattered around. The benches and lawn would be covered in gremlins soon enough. Jamie turned around the corner of the building, walking past the hedges and flowerbeds that adorned the front of the school and pushing open the door to the front reception. 

The school was old, built a few hundred years ago. It had originally been the holiday home of some lord or other and as a result the door was a heavy oak, thick wood surrounded by aged stone. Usually when Jamie entered the main reception area, the door behind her would muffle any outside noise, leaving only the quiet shuffle of paper or the sound of Isabel tapping away at her computer before greeting Jamie with a smile or an exasperated eye roll, depending on how much mud the gardener managed to track in. Today however, the sound of a small child crying greeted her as the door swung open on well oiled hinges. Jamie stepped through the alcove, past the empty umbrella stand and her attention was immediately caught by the source of the noise.

There were a few chairs lined up along the wall, large and comfortably upholstered in a deep red, usually reserved for students waiting for parents to pick them up for appointments or the occasional visit to the headmistress following some very serious trouble making. 

Flora was sitting on one of the chairs, tears streaming down her small face, her cheeks and eyes red from crying. Isabel sat next to her, doing her best to comfort the small girl, head bent, murmuring words of comfort.

“Flora?” In two strides, Jamie was on her knees in front of the girl, hands reaching up to brush the tears from her cheeks, coat dropped absently beside her on the hardwood floor.

Isabel looked taken aback, Jamie was usually one to turn on her heel and head in the opposite direction when faced with a crying child. Up until now the only exception to that rule had been Katie (and, many years before, a little boy with a gap in his crooked smile). That fact wasn’t lost on Jamie either, but there was something about Flora, something in her eyes, in the determined set of her jaw even as she shuddered with every intake of breath. She reminded Jamie of another little girl, one that had to grow up far too fast. 

“What happened?” Flora was crying too hard to answer so Jamie directed her question at Isabel.

“Not sure, Miss Adams brought her in a few minutes ago,” Isabel replied, smoothing a hand over her messy brown bun, the other sat comfortingly on Flora’s shoulder, “Her mum’s on her way.”

Jamie nodded, leaning over and plucking a tissue from the box on the side table next to the chairs and offering it to Flora, who took it, blowing her nose and crumpling the tissue in her small fist, sobs continued to shake her shoulders.

“Jamie, could you actually watch her for a moment? I need to use the bathroom, I’ll only be a minute.” Isabel asked the question like she wasn’t expecting Jamie to agree, the gardener willingly comforting a distraught child with Isabel present was one thing but to leave her alone? 

Jamie hesitated, weighing up the situation. The bathroom was just down the hall, close enough that a well aimed shout could bring Isabel back if things got bad and besides, it wasn’t like Flora was going anywhere.

“Sure,” Jamie’s voice came out far more confident than she felt, and Isabel let out a small sigh of relief.

“Can I leave you with Miss Greene for a minute, Flora?” Isabel asked gently and Flora nodded, drawing in another shuddering breath. The receptionist stood, giving Flora one last pat on the shoulder before she turned and headed down the corridor. 

Jamie handed Flora a second tissue, resting her free hand on the little girl's knee. “Why don’t we try taking some deep breaths again, like yesterday?” She offered and Flora nodded.

She took Flora’s hand (the one that wasn't clutching a snotty tissue), gently pulling it up towards her and placing it on her chest above her heart, “Can you feel when I breathe?” Jamie took a deep breath for demonstration and Flora nodded again, “Great, we’re not gonna count this time, so you need to concentrate and copy me, ok?” 

Jamie took a deep breath and Flora followed, her small hand pressed to Jamie’s collar bone, feeling the breath move though her lungs. It was an old trick, one Jamie’s older brother had used on her many times throughout her childhood. It didn’t take long for Flora’s sobs to subside.

“Thank you, Miss Greene,” Her voice shook slightly from leftover tears and she took her hand back to wipe her cheeks. 

Jamie made a show of looking around her suspiciously, “Looks to me like we’re the only two here, unless the ghost of Headmistress Willoughby just floated through the wall and only you can see her,” Flora giggled at that and Jamie continued, “So, I reckon it _might_ be safe for you to call me Jamie, hey?”

“Thank you, Jamie,” Flora’s voice was steadier now and Jamie chuckled.

“Anytime, chick,” Jamie was just about to ask why Flora had been crying in the first place when the main door was pushed open.

“Flora?” A voice called from the entrance and Jamie stood, turning just in time to greet Flora’s mum as she stepped into the reception area. 

“Jamie?” 

Jamie froze, staring at the woman who had just stepped through the alcove, her blonde hair was windswept and she was slightly out of breath, as if she’d been running. She stood just in front of the alcove, hands by her sides, wearing the same grey blazer and skirt combination that Jamie had last seen in the pixelated glow of her phone screen that morning.

“Dani?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and commenting! Your comments especially really make my day, even if they're just 'AAAAAAAAAAAA'. 
> 
> The actual story is really getting started now and I hope to have the next chapter up sooner than this one was, I won't make any promises but I'll do my best!
> 
> Please leave a comment letting me know what you liked (or didn't!) and If there's anything you'd like to see let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Lanni for Betaing and Mel for the name of the Pub!
> 
> Owen is bi in my heart and in this fic and I have aged Miles and Flora down a bit. 
> 
> I have about half of the next chapter written. Yay! Please let me know if you liked this! If you have any guesses as to where this is going send them my way! If you get it right I'll give you a shoutout in the next chapter!
> 
> Also, we have currently got a few more spaces in out Dani/Jamie discord so click this link to join if that interests you! https://discord.gg/TKdruyM8s9


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